Pace
by Mariel1
Summary: Patient Heart Liger is born, and No Heart decides to kidnap him. Connie and Hope, who were babysitting, come to his rescue. Part 11 of the Lucky Seven series.
1. Prologue

"Pace"

"Prologue: And Baby Makes Six"

_Author's Note: I don't own the Care Bears. Soulful Heart Fox belongs to NebulaBelt, and Regal and Co. belong to me. I had the character Patient Heart Liger in mind for a long time, but Patient Heart Wolf was actually brought to the public eye first. I've already spoken with the creator of Patient Heart Wolf, and he's told me he has no problem with our characters sharing a name. They're not one and the same, and my character will usually go by Pace anyway. Just to avoid confusion, the italicized passage is a flashback. Enjoy!_

The ticking of the cat-shaped wall clock seemed unusually loud as the three ligers sat in their parents' kitchen, waiting for the phone to ring. Chance, who was at the mental age of a fifteen-year-old but the chronological age of two and a half, was tapping his fingers on the tabletop. At first the tapping seemed to be random, a nervous tick of some sort. Soon, however, Connie was able to pick out the badly done rhythm of "The Addams Family" theme. Hope, who was chewing her lower lip raw as she periodically glanced at the clock, never even noticed. It was only when Chance started snapping his fingers at the appropriate places that Hope cracked a smile.

"Do you know any others?" she asked.

"Yupper." Chance grinned, and began drumming the complicated beat to 'Wipe-Out'.

Connie plucked an apple from the fruit bowl on the table, and regarded a small bruise on its yellow flesh with a look of disdain. "What's taking so long?"

Chance stopped his drumming, and said, "Well, Mom took seven hours to have you and Hopie, right?"

Connie put the apple back, and selected an orange instead. "Yeah, but we were the first cubs, and there were two of us. It shouldn't be taking this long." She sunk her teeth into the rind to get it started, grimacing at the slightly bitter taste, and began to peel the fruit.

"It's only been three hours. Relax." said Hope.

"Not _quite_ three hours." Chance pointed to the clock. It had been a Christmas gift to Regal from Proud Heart, and the lioness had put the silly thing up in their kitchen for reasons of her own. Her parents had owned a similar one, but she didn't like to talk about her parents these days. The minute hand reached the 12, and the clock gave a tinny-sounding 'Meee-yowww'. Chance shrugged, and said, "_Now _it's been three hours."

"Ugh..." Connie rolled her eyes, but as usual this only amused him further. "Anyone want some orange?"

"Sure, I'll bite," said Chance, "Sail it over."

"Yes, _please_." said Hope pointedly, giving Chance a look.

"Aw, don't be a goody two-shoes." chuckled Connie, tossing Chance a quarter of her orange and giving some to Hope as well.

Hope split her chunk of orange into sections and said, "You think we should call Soulful? Tell him what's up?"

Connie shook her head. "Nah...You wanna give him a coronary?"

"Whatcha mean by that?" asked Chance, leaning forward in interest.

"Oh, you should have seen the look on his face when Mom went into labor with _you_. We were right there, weren't we Hope?"

Hope giggled, and nodded. "Oh yes. Poor guy...I thought he was gonna have a stroke!"

Chance smiled a little, and shook his head. "It isn't _that _funny, though. I think everyone but Mom went into 'panic mode' this time. What'd _he_ do?"

Connie wiped orange juice from her lips and said, "Who, Soulful? Kinda got all buggy-eyed, and took a _slooooow_ step backwards. But he didn't start to really _squirm_ until later on, when he was watching us and waiting for the phone to ring. We spent about a half-hour asking him really awkward questions."

Chance rolled his eyes. "Just like a girl..." he tried unsuccessfully to duck as Connie pegged him in the head with a plum, then asked, "Did he answer any of them?"

"No." laughed Connie, "You'd think that red fur of his could hide a blush, but-"

"Connie..." Hope warned, "be nice."

"Mm." Connie popped a piece of orange into her mouth and dropped the subject. It occurred to her too late (as it usually does) that Soulful Heart, had he heard their conversation, probably would have thought she was making fun of him. These days, it was a rare thing for Connie to _intentionally_ hurt someone's feelings. Accidents and misunderstandings, however, still happened on occasion. Connie, her cheeks burning with shame, filed her part of that particular conversation under the 'Do Not Repeat' section of her mind.

"So, what's it like?" asked Chance, "Having a baby in the house?"

"Well, it can be a lot of fun..." said Hope.

"A lot of work, too..." added Connie. "And we'll be expected to do some of the dirty work this time around. You too, Chance."

Chance looked wary. "Dirty work?"

"Diapers." said the twins in unison.

"Whoa, I'm not changing _any_ diapers!" protested Chance, waving his paws. "That's a _girl's_ job!"

"Oh?" Connie gave a vindictive smile and tapped her chin with a forefinger. "I wonder what Dad'll have to say about that. Him, Uncle Brave Heart, Noble Heart, a _lot_ of them powdered your little tushie more times than I can count!"

"Ohhh…" Chance moaned, burying his face in his arms to hide a blush.

"They can be a lot of fun." Said Hope again, discreetly elbowing her sister. "And they need a lot of attention."

"Yeah…" Chance nodded, glad that the subject had turned away from his 'little tushie' for the time being. He was blissfully ignorant of the fact that when he himself had been a newborn, one of his sisters had been a little jealous of him. Surprisingly, it hadn't been Connie. Connie's fears had been resolved before his arrival, but Hope's hadn't begun until a week after his birth.

Conversation had tapered off, and now Hope reflected on what had so far been the saddest time of her life…

* * *

_Chance had a mild case of colic; it wasn't nearly as severe as Connie's had been when she was a cub, but his crying still kept his parents and sisters up most nights. Hope was unused to going without sleep, and she was becoming cranky during the day, quite unlike her usual chipper self. The pained bawling of a colicky baby generally didn't bother Connie, who was a very heavy sleeper. _

_Day brought little relief. Chance would often stay awake as long as he could, as if he feared he might miss something, and he was a very light sleeper. The slightest hint of a noise, and his dark eyes would open so quickly that Hope almost expected a 'pop' to accompany it. _

_Hope loved her baby brother, there was no mistaking it, but the truth was that she missed the days when her parents only had the two of them. For one thing, she and Connie hadn't been required to be so _quiet_ before. They had to walk softly and use their 'inside voices' now. Sometimes they forgot, and Chance would give a loud, sustained wail. This made their parents rather cross, and resulted in either a lecture or a time-out. Connie didn't seem to mind, as if she knew what to expect, and she generally took her corrections without complaint. Hope, on the other hand, was confused and rather hurt. She hadn't expected her new baby brother to be so small and helpless, or that he would depend so much on their parents._

_Hope had been under the impression that when Mommy brought home a new friend for them to play with, they would actually be able to _play_ with him. Just what _was_ this tiny being who couldn't string two gurgles together, much less talk or play? While Hope bore no animosity towards the new baby, she felt…_lonely._ A week after Chance's birth, their mother had agreed to read Connie and Hope a bedtime story. It was early in the day that the twins had made their request, but by the time the girls were tucked in it was only Hope who had remembered. She waited for her mother to remember, but when it was clear that she had forgotten, Hope got out of bed and padded to Chance's room to remind her._

_Regal Heart would have been most grievously sorry, had Hope been able to pluck up the courage to speak. Chance was sleeping as Mommy rocked him, and Hope knew that it wasn't good to wake Chance. Feeling rejected, she went back to the room she shared with Connie and got into her sister's bed, cuddling close for comfort. Connie rolled over in her sleep and put her arm over her twin in a loose hug, just as she had when they had shared a crib._

_The next day, Regal noticed that Hope was being very quiet. She was about to ask what was wrong when Connie's face hit her oatmeal with a resounding '_plop!_'. Thinking that they were tired from another sleepless night, Regal had asked Soulful Heart Fox if he could babysit them today. She asked him specifically because he was usually available, since he went on fewer Missions than most of the others; also, much to her surprise, he had become rather fond of the cubs. He was a bit of a grouch, but the cubs simply accepted it as a part of who he was, rather than expecting him to conform to someone's idea of an 'ideal Care Bear Cousin'. Perhaps this was why he liked them. Of course, no one could say for sure but Soulful himself._

_And so, Connie and Hope found themselves in Soulful Heart's care that day, and Hope felt more rejected than ever. From her point of view, it seemed that their parents had dropped them off in order to spend more time with the baby. On this day a small series of misunderstandings had led to Hope sitting in a small corner of Soulful's living room, refusing to be comforted. She didn't raise her voice in tearful complaint; she simply stared at the wall and sniffled quietly, blinking when the tears blurred her vision._

_Poor Soulful Heart was at a loss. No matter what he did to cheer her up, she merely shook her head. Admittedly, he wasn't exactly good at cheering people up, but for some reason this failure rankled. _

_"Want some ice cream?" he asked._

_She shook her head no._

_"Want a story? We're on chapter six of 'The Hobbit'…" he wheedled._

_No._

_"I can make a funny face." Connie chimed in, "Wanna see?"_

_(sob) No._

_He chewed his lower lip, looking helpless and frustrated. "Hope…" he said, trying to make his voice sound less gruff than usual, "What's wrong?"_

_Hope's response wasn't what he was hoping for. She merely pressed her face against him, crying softly and pitifully. He could barely make out the words 'no one wants me', and his heart gave an unpleasant twist. This was a part of caring that he could do without. He was trying to find the words to explain just why that wasn't true when Connie came to his rescue. Remembering her encounter with the redbird, she explained that their parents would be busy with Chance for a while because that was what babies needed; they'd already had _their _turns, and now it was _his_ turn. Just like on the playground._

_Soulful gave her a funny look, as if it struck him as odd that a cub her age would have come up with a grown-up notion like that on her own. "Where did you learn that?"_

_Connie felt a giggle bubbling up inside her. "A little birdie told me…" she was promptly overtaken by a fit of the giggles, and Soulful shrugged._

_Hope was calming down now, but she was still upset. It wasn't until Connie had picked up a decorative bottle (it had been a gift, one that Soulful kept because it was from Grams Bear, who he didn't want to offend) and jammed Soulful's tail into it that Hope's mood changed for the better. Soulful wasn't amused, to say the very least, but Hope had finally laughed for the first time that day. Connie took her time-out quite cheerfully, and Hope spent the next few minutes helping Soulful Heart free his tail from the bottle._

_That night, Hope had finally confessed her feelings of rejection to her parents, and they had almost looked devastated. After a long talk, Regal and Stellar made plans to take the twins on an outing the next day while Brave Heart took Chance for the afternoon. And Chance hadn't minded in the slightest._

* * *

A cream-colored paw with a pinkish-peach palm pad waved in front of her face as Chance sang, "Yoo-hooooo, Forest of Feelings to Hopie…" 

"Huh?" Hope jumped, accidentally tossing the section of fruit she was holding into the air. "What?"

Chance flashed a bright smile, pushing his stubborn forelock out of his eyes. "You tell _me_. I said your name twice, and it's like your brain just went…" he hummed the theme from 'The Twilight Zone', and said, "Lights were on, but no one was home. Guess you're pretty worried, huh?"

She had to smile. As bad as that time had been for her, it had been mercifully brief. Chance was no encroacher, and he certainly kept the doldrums from setting in when he was around. "I'm fine, Chance. Just thinking…"

The phone rang, and while all three of them jumped, Connie actually fell out of her chair. Chance sprang to answer it, but she scrambled to her feet.

"I got it!" yelled Chance.

"No, if _I_ had to end up on the floor, I'm darn well gonna answer it!" was Connie's sharp retort.

"Who died and made _you_ Noble Heart?" he smirked as minor scuffle involving shoving and rib poking began between the two of them.

Hope calmly picked up the phone, pinched her nostrils shut, and intoned nasally, "Hello, you have reached the residence of Stellar Heart Tiger and Regal Heart Lioness. As we are presently occupied with what appears to be an amateur wrestling match, no one can come to the phone right now. Please leave your name, a brief message, and the victor will return your call at his or her earliest convenience. Thank you. _Beeeeeeep!_"

Hope's siblings stared at her in open-mouthed astonishment as silence greeted her over the phone. Then, as Stellar Heart (for that's who it was) gave a bewildered 'Huh?', Connie began a slow, reverent applause while Chance mimed wiping away a tear.

"That was beautiful…Spoken like a true smart-aleck, Hopie." Sniffled Chance, suddenly flinging his arms around Connie's neck. "_Hold_ me!"

Hope scowled, and covered the mouthpiece. "Will you two knock it off? It's Dad!" Then, taking her paw off the phone, she said, "Mom had the baby? They're okay?" she put him on 'speaker phone' so that the others could hear him.

Stellar, wisely deciding not to try to figure this one out, chuckled and said, "They're fine, just fine. You have a new baby brother."

"Yes!" Chance whooped, slapping Connie on the back. "_Told_ ya it was gonna be a boy! _You_ owe me a pizza, Connie!"

"How's about a knuckle sandwich?" she muttered, though try as she might she couldn't hide a smile. Out loud, she said, "What does he look like?"

"Well," said Stellar, "He's orange, like me. He has brown stripes, like the three of you. Tender Heart just gave him his symbol; it's a turtle with hearts on the shell." He paused as if to let that sink in, sounding bewildered by it himself; he couldn't guess what a symbol like that might stand for. He continued, "And he has a short mane, too. Looks different from yours, Chance. More…I dunno…more in his eyes than yours _ever_ was, but not quite as spiky. You have to come down and see him!"

"Can we come now?" asked Hope.

There was a moment's indistinct conversation on the other end, and Stellar said, "Take Care says it's okay, as long as you're quiet."

* * *

Two hours after Stellar had made his phone call, Regal was sitting up in bed, looking tired but contented as she held her newborn son. The ligers were there, as were Tender Heart and the two original guardians, True Heart and Noble Heart. Brave Heart, who had gotten the message while he was on a Mission halfway around the world, wouldn't arrive home for another two hours…which suited Soulful Heart just fine. It was purely by coincidence that the fox was at Take Care's office at all. Due to a mix-up at the Hall of Hearts, he had ended up taking one of her books home by mistake. He had come by to return it when he heard the soft coo of a baby in one of the back rooms. Of course, he knew what _that_ meant. Regal had finally had her baby. 

Curiosity had gotten the better of him so that when Take Care told him that Regal was up to having a few visitors, it was only with token protests that he allowed Take Care to show him in.

"He's beautiful, Regal." True Heart was saying as she reached out to stroke the cub's tightly curled fist. He reflexively gripped her finger, but didn't wake.

Soulful merely sat and looked, witnessing but not participating, until Regal asked if he wanted to hold her baby. After a moment's hesitation, conscious of everybody's eyes on him, he shrugged and nodded. He already had some mild experience with handling babies, so he wasn't worried about dropping him. While it seemed more like he was copying what he had seen others do rather than naturally responding to some sort of 'parental instinct', his grip was steady and safe, and the cub showed no signs of worry. '_Wait until he opens his eyes and sees me,_' he thought, 'then_ we'll hear some crying…_'

And then the cub _did_ open his eyes, and he realized that he was in a stranger's arms; a stranger with a very piercing gaze. Soulful visibly braced himself for that tiny mouth to open in a wail of terror, but the baby only furrowed his brow as if to say, '_What're _you _looking at?_' Soulful never blinked, and neither did the cub. "So…" said the fox, "What will you two name this little fellow?"

Regal and Stellar exchanged a glance, and Regal said, "Well, we talked it over, and we think the name 'Patient Heart' suits him."

Soulful had to admit, it was rare for an adult to match him stare for stare, let alone a cub. Finally, however, the baby showed signs of annoyance rather than fear. With a decisive 'Unh!', little Patient Heart reached up and covered Soulful's eyes.

Against all expectations, Soulful Heart gave a mirthful snort and said, "This kid's got guts."

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Considerations and Recollections

"Pace"

_Author's Note: This chapter will be a shortie. The rating was changed, probably needlessly, but just to be on the safe side. Enjoy!_

"He certainly is a _quiet_ baby..." Gentle Heart observed as she sat with Regal in the lioness's living room. Little Patient Heart (or Pace, as his family called him) was lying on the couch between them, loosely wrapped in a new knitted blanket that had been a baby shower gift from Gentle Heart. He was now a week old, and he was, by far, the most placid baby of the four liger cubs.

"Yeah, he rarely cries." replied Regal, smiling as Pace squirmed a little and worked his arms out of the blanket with an air of triumph. "Stel and I have to set our alarm every few hours during the night to make sure he gets fed. The only time he really gets upset is when I have to brush his mane, and I can hardly blame him for _that_."

Gentle nodded in agreement, unconsciously rubbing her woolly headfur. She remembered when she was young and needed help brushing it. No matter how careful her guardians were, they couldn't always avoid giving her 'hair' an accidental tug if the brush snagged on a tangle. When she got to the point where she could do it herself, it was much easier. She knew how to locate tangles before a twinge became pain, since it was her own head. It was hard to explain the necessity of it to a baby, but in time he would learn that brushing wasn't just an annoying nuisance his parents inflicted on him from time to time.

"This blanket is really coming in handy." said Regal, not at all uncomfortable with carrying on most of the conversation. Gentle Heart wasn't very chatty, and everyone knew it. Silences sometimes made the green lamb uncomfortable, so she was more than happy to let others talk while she listened.

"I'm glad," she said, "though you've crocheted at least six so far, so I don't see how..."

Regal waved it off. "That was to pass the time while I was pregnant. Soulful's probably getting sick of me hanging around his library."

"I don't think so." Gentle shook her head.

"Besides," Regal continued, "the ones I made aren't as nice as this. I can't knit, so I think knitted things are more interesting."

Gentle Heart gave a rare, saucy grin and said, "Since when are you interested in things domestic? You who held No Heart at bay while wearing a wedding dress?"

The lioness laughed, a short mirthful yip. "I'm the mother of four cubs. Everything _about_ my life is domestic anymore. And I wouldn't have it any other way." She looked fondly at her cub, who suddenly opened his eyes and appeared uneasy and frightened. Regal's smile turned into a concerned frown. "What's the matter, Pace?"

The cub brought his fist to his mouth and sucked on it to comfort himself. He didn't understand what it was that worried him; in fact, he didn't understand much at all. But something didn't feel right. He whimpered softly, gumming his knuckles and reaching for his mother with his free paw.

"He can't be teething yet..." said Regal, picking him up and gently rubbing his back as he lay against her shoulder.

"Maybe he's hungry..." suggested Gentle Heart.

"Maybe." Regal nodded thoughtfully. "Would you mind watching him while I fix his bottle?"

Gentle Heart shook her head and held out her paws to receive him, but as soon as Regal handed him over he felt his unease turn into terror. He didn't _know_ things yet, but he _felt _things. And what he felt now was stronger than any good feeling he'd ever experienced, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

"Aha...aha...aaaaaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaah!" he bawled, squirming and twisting as much as he could, which, given his age, wasn't much at all. It hadn't taken Pace long to warm up to Gentle Heart, so being in her arms couldn't have provoked such a reaction. The lamb wordlessly handed Pace back to Regal, and indicated with a gesture that she would fix the bottle instead.

"Okay Pacie, okay, okay..." crooned Regal, rocking him as he made himself as small as possible. '_This isn't a pain cry..._' she thought, '_It can't be colic..._'

* * *

"She's had _another _one..." No Heart growled in disbelief, clenching his talon-like hands into fists as he gazed into his cauldron. He got the distinct impression that the cub had been aware that he was watching, and had reacted in a way that was (for such a small cub) violent.

No Heart hadn't had any contact with the Care Bear Family since that day four months ago, when they drove him out of their kingdom with those accursed Stares of theirs. He hadn't bothered to look in on the lioness's little family, hadn't even thought about her, except to remember with grim satisfaction how she had looked when he taunted her about the day he killed her parents. That had been petty-yet-sweet revenge, to see her pale and weaken, and to see her clutch her head as she called on a human deity in her agony. No Heart had been defeated that day, defeated and driven away, but he had that memory with which to comfort himself. And that had been satisfying indeed.

So, No Heart had spent the past four months or so doing what he enjoyed; sending his Shadows down to Earth to cause humans (particularly human children, since they were more impressionable than adults) to do wicked things, and in general just keeping the Care Bears hopping. But he never made any personal appearances. He spent much of his free time tutoring Shrieky in the arts of dark magic, and he found this to be more enjoyable than he had expected. Shrieky was a few months shy of fourteen, and she was proving to be an apt pupil. Her voice, rather than growing less piercing, retained its high-pitched tone; her vocal cords had strengthened to the point where the Care Bear Family had taken to carrying earplugs with them wherever they went.

But now, as he looked into his cauldron for the first time in four months, he found that yet _another_ liger cub had been born.

'_Perhaps,_' No Heart thought, '_I have been too complacent. If the male cubs are anything like the females, they will be a force to be reckoned with when they come of age. The older male is nearly an adult himself, but I've not yet seen him exhibit any particular prowess. Bah...he is a clownish lout. What do I have to fear from him? Ah...but _this_ cub...He sensed me watching him. Perhaps..._'

"Hmmm..." No Heart's hand disappeared into his cowl as he rubbed his chin, and he mused to himself, "Perhaps _he_ is the one I should capture and study...The oldest female is too strong-willed, and has been from the time she was a cub. The second female might be pliable, but she is too slippery; all previous attempts to take her have resulted in nothing but failure. And her power is worthless, except to protect herself, which is why I've not been able to get my _hands_ on her!" he gritted his teeth. "The elder brother would do nothing but annoy me, and it is too late to tame him...but _this_ cub..."

No Heart's lips peeled back from his unseen yellow teeth, and he gave vent to a low, ominous chuckle as he watched the cub writhe and howl. "If I can turn him against the Care Bears...I was unsuccessful with his sister. I underestimated her. I will not make that mistake again!"

He turned away from his cauldron and walked out of the room to prepare.

* * *

His eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that, had he been paying attention, he would have seen purple star bursts on the insides of his eyelids. Then, as suddenly as Pace's crying had begun, it stopped. Only the tears and the occasional hiccup remained as evidence that it had happened at all. He sensed that whatever had been a threat to him had receded, and he was nowhere near old enough to think that it was only temporary. He sighed, limbs going slack, and felt his mother sigh with relief.

"I've never seen anything like that from him, never." said Regal quietly, taking the bottle from Gentle Heart and offering it to her son. He turned his head sleepily away from it, and yawned. Regal put down the bottle, and sat down on the couch. "I guess something scared him, but I don't know what it could have been."

Gentle Heart looked down. "Maybe it was me...a stranger, and all..."

"No, you're not a stranger. He knows you." the lioness reassured her. "Maybe it was a bad dream. Connie got what my mom called 'night terrors' a few times, and nothing we did could make her feel safe until she calmed down on her own." She shivered; she didn't like to think about it, and she hadn't meant to mention her human mother. Ever since No Heart had said those terrible things to her, she hadn't been able to think about her parents without remembering that last day with them, when he had taken them away from her.

"I...better be going." said Gentle Heart, glancing at her watch. "I'll be needed down on Earth...unless you want me to stay."

Regal Heart shook her head and forced a smile. "I think we'll be all right. Connie and Hope should be back soon. Their shift's almost over. Then it'll be my turn."

"Where are Stellar and Chance?" asked Gentle.

"Stellar's showing him the ropes. Soon he'll be driving a Cloudmobile." said Regal, mentally adding, '_And he'd _better _drive responsibly..._'

Regal saw Gentle Heart out, and put Pace in his cradle before sitting down and resting her chin on her fist. She wanted her children safe at home, almost wished that they didn't have to help the people of Earth at their own risk, and loathed herself for it. '_Maybe I have postpartum depression..._' she thought to herself before dropping the notion. This had started well before Pace had even been conceived...In fact, it had started well before she even joined the Care Bear Family, and it was only when she was alone (she might as well have _been_ alone, since her only company was a slumbering baby) that she allowed herself to feel any kind of grief.

And No Heart's taunting hadn't helped. Regal hadn't meant to mention her mother to Gentle Heart, but she had, and that had gotten the ball rolling. She didn't fight it. She sat, and let her mind drift. She _remembered_.

* * *

_She would never forget that day, or the things he said to her. Parts of that day were a blur, but the parts she wished most to forget were in the foreground, as always. They had managed a stalemate with No Heart, neither side winning, both sides tiring. One by one, the Care Bear Family had ceased their Stares and Calls, and No Heart stood before them, panting and fuming. His latest kidnapping attempt had not involved one of the cubs, but had centered around Soulful Heart Fox. Fortunately for the fox but unfortunately for No Heart, most of the Care Bear Family had been in the Kingdom of Caring at the time, and even Brave Heart had jumped to prevent the sorcerer's success._

_Regal rather liked seeing No Heart at the wrong end of a Stare, and she recalled a promise she had made to herself and to her long-dead parents. No Heart would not hurt anyone else. Ever. And she simply wouldn't let him take anyone else from her, be it her husband, her cubs, or one of her friends. While the others stood panting in a protective semi-circle around Soulful Heart, Regal alone found the breath to address No Heart. "You are trespassing. You won't take him, or anyone else. Get out."_

_Staccato, derisive laughter. No Heart was laughing at her. "And will _you_ make me leave, Lioness? And just how will you do that, might I ask? Will you _roar_ at me and _hiss_, like you did when you foolishly tried to defend your _parents?_ You're weak and pathetic, and you're useless. Nothing but having the _others_ here makes you so brave and outspoken, child." he jeered, fervently enjoying the look of dawning horror in her eyes, "Poor, _pitiful _thing...if it weren't for you, your parents would still be breathing air today."_

_Regal gasped sharply, and began to tremble all over. She had thought the same thing, but only on a subconscious level. To hear it spoken aloud..._

_Stellar Heart bared his teeth in an expression of barely controlled rage. "How..._**DARE**_ you say that to her!"_

_Brave Heart gave a loud roar, and bellowed, "You'll pay for that, No Heart!"_

_No Heart ignored them. His attention was on Regal now, and he intended to inflict as much pain upon her as possible before he was forced out. "Your rash actions that day brought about their **deaths**, Lioness. Your very presence among them was nearly enough to doom them, but I might have let them go and merely taken you, had you not been so stupid as to anger me. Did your..._mother_..." the sneer was audible, "sing to you at night? Do you still remember the words of her favorite lullaby?"_

_"Stop it..." she whispered in a haunted, childlike voice. He had essentially regressed her, and her mind was no longer on the task at hand. He had transported her back to that awful time._

_"And what about your father? Did he read a bedtime story every night? How did you repay him?" No Heart demanded with mock-severity, thoroughly enjoying the way she seemed to shrink before him even as her husband rightly took offense._

_"**STOP IT!**" hollered Stellar, his voice wholly unrecognizable from his usual, soft-spoken baritone. He was livid, and as soon as his strength returned..._

_Soulful glared at No Heart with such raw, pure hatred that Gentle Heart flinched and looked away from him._

_No Heart continued, hardly noticing as the Family began to recover their strength. "I'll wager you _resented_ them for keeping you a secret from the world and not letting you have any human friends. You fought with them at times, didn't you? You said things no daughter...no _good_ daughter...should say. Am I right?"_

_Regal shook her head as if to deny, but she knew it was true. At times, she _had_ resented her confinement, even if it _was_ only for her own protection. She had been ungrateful, and she had helped No Heart kill them..._

_"By the time I was through with them, there wasn't enough of them left to fill a **Dixie Cup!**" he spat._

_Something inside Regal snapped, and her paws, which had been trembling at her sides, flew to her head. She pressed hard on her temples, as if to squash those hateful words from her thoughts. Drawing a hitching breath, she screamed, "**Oh GOD!**"_

_No Heart was hit by a sudden volley of Stares and Calls, and only Brave Heart and Stellar Heart found that they had the breath to yell. _

_"You're gonna wish you **never** said those things to my sister!"_

_"Get out of our home! Get out! **Now!**"_

_The only one who had been unable to help was Soulful Heart; he was too furious, and he simply couldn't summon up any good feelings to help him Call. Not that anyone noticed. Regal didn't notice _anything. _She simply stood there with her paws to her head, and didn't move._

_No Heart couldn't withstand the force of their attack, and he quickly withdrew to his castle. _

_The Family had then relaxed somewhat, and the first thing Regal was aware of since her outburst was Stellar's face looming in front of her. She felt a gentle tug on her wrists, and she let him pull her paws down. And she was numb. She let him hug her, and assured him that she was fine, but at the time her wound was too deep for her to feel real pain yet. That came later...

* * *

_

Regal Heart sighed, and looked over at her baby. The cub was watching her expectantly, and when he saw that he had her attention he smiled a toothless smile. Regal smiled back, and cupped the crown of his little head in her paw. "Hey, li'l man. Feel better?"

Pace merely kicked a little as if testing his leg muscles, and continued to smile. Regal felt her sadness slip away like a discarded shawl. No Heart's comments, whether there was any truth in them or not, had been designed to hurt her. The verbal attack was childish and low, and he was ruthless and determined to win by any means. His comments and judgments weren't what was important. _This,_ her family, this was what was important. Yes, she had allowed No Heart's words to hurt her deeply and take her out of the last fight; and yes, she wasn't infallible and she made mistakes. But she would never let him get to her like that again. There was too much at stake.

Regal heard the front door open, and she looked up in time to see Connie and Hope enter the house perfectly in step with each other, as if they were participating in a three-legged race (which was an event they had won three years in a row during Care-a-Lot's Birthday, so that the Family had decided to retire the category). Whether it was something that was practiced or consciously done was anyone's guess, but the twins weren't telling.

"Have a good day, girls?" asked Regal.

"It was okay," Hope grinned as her sister pouted, "except for Connie's little encounter with her 'Mini-Me'..."

"Oh? Do tell." Regal smiled.

Connie sighed, and sat down on the couch. "There was a little girl down on Earth who was even more stubborn than _me_, if you can believe it..."

Regal raised her eyebrows, and Hope elbowed Connie and said, "Oh no she wasn't, she was just about on a par with you, and you're the reigning queen!"

"Hopie, why don't you go chew on some tinfoil?" Connie suggested, smiling sweetly.

Regal shook her head with a resigned chuckle, and sighed. "What am I gonna do with you two?"

"Guess you're just stuck with us." they both said, cracking up. The way they sometimes acted in synch, and their physical similarities sometimes made it hard to tell that they weren't identical twins. On the other hand, they were as different as night and day.

"So," said Connie, "anyway, I had to help this girl named Jessie learn that she wasn't the center of the universe, and yadda yadda yadda...You know the 'Caring Drill', caring and sharing, tip-toe through the tulips, lah-dee-dah and fiddle-dee-dee..." she finished with a bad 'Scarlett O'Hara' accent, and Regal couldn't help but laugh.

"What's for dinner?" asked Hope.

Regal pointed to Connie, and said, "I thought we might have _ham_..."

Hope managed to eke out, "Treat Heart would never forgive us..." before the three of them dissolved into helpless giggles. Pace, sensing their amusement, first smiled then gave a trilling baby laugh.

Regal finally said, "There's still a lot of Shrimp Creole left over from last night, and there's cheesecake for dessert."

"Hm, you read my mind..." said Connie, heading for the kitchen.

About half an hour later, Hope was heating their dinner on the stove while Connie changed Pace and gave him his bottle. Regal, relishing the chance to be out and about once more, headed down to Earth. None of them even suspected that No Heart was preparing to go to their house and abduct the youngest Care Bear Cousin. Pace, his belly full and his mind at ease, slept soundly in his cradle.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Not Ourselves

"Pace"

"Chapter 3: Not Ourselves"

_Author's Note: Sorry it's so short this time, but we're kinda busy right now, and I wanted to update. _

The beetle landed on a bedroom windowsill and folded its shiny purple wing-covers over its back. This wasn't exactly No Heart's favorite mode of transportation, nor his favorite form to take, but at the moment stealth was key. He had to get _very _close to the ligers in order for his plan to work, since he had no desire to be 'frozen' by Connie on her home turf. It rankled him to no end that her power effected him as well, but he had learned that he must be crafty when approaching her. After her previous experiences with him, most of which had happened when she was a small cub, she had grown into the type of person who struck first and ask questions later. He would be frozen before he could snap his fingers.

The window was open, most likely to let in the fresh air, and he silently skittered in and buzzed down to the floor to get his bearings.

He was alone, but he could hear indistinct voices coming from the kitchen. Then he heard something else...

* * *

Pace set up a bawling that rivaled Connie's 'colic cry' from when she was a baby. Connie and Hope tried everything they could think of, but he refused to be soothed. Neither of them heard the tell-tale buzzing, and they didn't notice as a beetle landed on the floor almost directly in front of them. 

"I'm calling Take Care..." said Hope, putting Pace in his carriage. "He almost sounds like he's in pain."

Connie, who was more worried than she was letting on, replied, "Maybe you should." She began to say something else, but instead she gave a yelp of surprise as No Heart seemed to materialize before her. The sorcerer doused the ligers in their faces with a strange-smelling blue liquid (Connie didn't have time to wonder what it was or how he had brought it out without her seeing where it had come from), and said, "That won't be necessary."

"It _burns!_" shrieked Connie, frantically rubbing her eyes to clear them. Pace, who now had No Heart standing between himself and his sisters, was screaming himself hoarse. No Heart turned casually towards him, and reached out. Connie pointed to him, and said in a commanding bark, "_Freeze!_"

No Heart did not freeze.

"_Freeze,_ I said!"

"I heard you the first time." Said No Heart, chuckling as he wrapped his hand around Pace's middle and lifted him as if he were a stuffed toy. The baby's head lolled alarmingly, and Hope cried out in fear.

"Stop, you'll break his neck!" she screamed, the horrible thought dawning on her that No Heart might intend to do just that.

But that wasn't his intention at all. He tucked the cub into the crook of his arm - not protectively, but _possessively_ - and regarded the twins with amusement and loathing. Pace was no bigger than a half-grown kitten, and he had no claws with which to defend himself; only a set of tiny, human-like nails. This was actually a good thing, because if No Heart dropped Pace from that height it might kill him. As it was, he held the cub in too tight a grip, and Pace's cries were now partly out of pain as well as fear. "I'm sure you've realized by now that your powers won't work." said No Heart, "It's a spell, you see. Do you like it? It's been two years in the making, and I've finally had a chance to test it. And that's not all..."

As he spoke, Connie and Hope seemed to grow taller. At first they thought they were imagining it, but when their fur separated from their skin and transformed into clothing as they grew, it was undeniable that something strange was happening to them. They grew until the tops of their heads were at about a level with No Heart's chest, and as if to confirm their own experiences they looked at each other. There was a moment of astonished silence. Then they screamed.

"We're..." Hope said in a breathless squeak.

"_Humans!_" Connie finished, turning accusingly to No Heart, who was fairly laughing his head off.

"Yes. And quite powerless." he said.

If their Family could see them now, they wouldn't have believed their eyes. Connie and Hope now stood at about five feet and ten inches tall in their shoes, and as similar as they appeared when they were Cousins, they were now as different as night and day. Hope was slender and pale-complected, with black hair and bewildered, doe-like eyes. Connie's build was somewhat more stocky and strong, and there was still a slightly feline quality to her eyes, which were a bright grass-green and snapped fire. Her hair was a fiery red, presumably to match her temper, which was steadily heating. As she opened her mouth to let out a stream of words that would no doubt jeopardize their brother's safety, Hope clapped a hand over her sister's lips.

"What're you going to do to him? You're not going to..." she couldn't say it.

"Kill him?" No Heart asked, enjoying the look he brought to her face, "Not yet. Perhaps not ever. I have plans for this one..." So saying, he turned and headed for the kitchen door.

Connie pulled away from her sister, but Hope got an even stronger grip on her and held her back.

"Come back here, you...you..._coward!_" yelled Connie, unable to think of something worse to call him. No Heart didn't even answer her. When Connie finally broke free, giving her sister the dirtiest of looks, she ran outside and gave a terrified scream. No Heart, in the form of a huge bird of prey, was flying away with their brother clasped in his talons. "No Heart!" she roared at his retreating form, shaking her human fist, "If you drop him, I'm gonna rip your head off and _spit down your neck!_" A mocking eagle-screech was the only answer she got.

"Connie!" Hope gripped her shoulders. Connie rounded on her, red hair flying.

"And _you!_ Why did you hold me back!" she screamed.

"Because if you'd jumped on his back like I know you were going to, he would have dropped Pace! _Think!_" Hope gave her sister a shake, then tried to hug her when she saw the stricken look on her face. Connie pulled away, and Hope continued, "He already had Pace in his hands, Con...If Pace was older it wouldn't have been so dangerous, but a fall at his age..."

"**_I know!_**" Connie snapped. Then, more quietly, "Damn it, I _know._" She ran a hand through her hair, stopping as she realized that her hair was _much_ longer than her headfur had been, and sighed. "Come on. We have to-"

"Save him?" asked Hope, "We don't even know where he took him..."

Connie snorted. "He took him to his castle. Where else would he take him?"

"But he said..."

"He's a liar." Connie interrupted her, "Didn't you see where he was flying? He was making a bee-line for his castle. He must think we're dense or something not to know where he's going. _He's_ the one who's dense! Any _smart _villain would have killed us on the spot, rather than simply turning us into humans."

Hope couldn't argue with that. It would have been terribly easy for No Heart to rid himself of them forever, with the two of them as they were now. She couldn't figure out why, but the answer was a simple one. No Heart, seeing that his newest potion was a success, wanted to see how long it would last. The effects were only temporary; he had been unable to make them permanent.

"We should get the others..." Hope said.

"What others?" asked Connie, "Almost everyone's out on Caring Missions now. Grams is too old, and Bedtime Bear's gonna be too sleepy to do any good."

"We should call someone." said Hope.

"No, Hope, we shouldn't! No Heart said he has _plans _for him! Do you want to give him time to get started? We have to go _now._" And with that, Connie turned and walked towards the family Cloudmobile; it was one of the ones for permanent use, not the kind that dissipated into thin air.

"But..." Hope ventured, following her.

"Jeez, how're we gonna drive this thing? We're too big!" Connie was muttering. "Our knees are gonna be up to our chins..." She was exaggerating, but not by much.

"What about Soulful?" asked Hope, "He's usually home."

Connie shook her head. "We're not dragging Soulful to No Heart's castle, end of story." It had been a little less than five years since Soulful Heart had joined the Care Bear Family, and Connie knew him well enough to know that he would probably be badly effected by the trip if he went with them. "Well, get in. We're gonna have to hurry."

"But..." Hope protested.

Connie whipped around and glared. "Get in the car, or stay home!"

Hope flinched, then lowered her head. Her bangs fell into her eyes, obscuring them, but Connie saw a tear drip off her chin.

"Hope...I'm sorry, but there isn't much time. If I seem mean I'm sorry, but it's because I don't have time to be nice. We _can't_ let No Heart hurt our brother..."

Hope got into the car, not looking at her. "Let's go..."

Connie, after giving Hope a regretful look, started the car and sped off. She was right about one thing; it was a cramped fit for the both of them. After a few moments of driving in silence, Connie said, "I really am sorry, Hope. I'm just..."

Hope held up a hand. "I know. I'm afraid for him too...But how can the two of us stand a chance with No Heart? Especially like _this_?" she gestured at their human bodies.

"We have to." said Connie in a tone that brooked no arguing. "We _will_. The spell can't last forever."

Hope looked straight ahead, and to lighten the mood, she said, "What do you think our parents will say when they get home and find us gone? No note, nothing, and no car in the driveway? We're gonna catch holy heck for this."

Connie snorted, and replied, "It won't be any worse than that time you snuck down to Earth when you were first learning to drive. Remember that?"

"Remember? How could I forget!" Hope groaned. When she was at about the equivalent of a sixteen-year-old, she had taken the family car and driven down to Earth without permission. She had crashed the car, which dissipated because it was so damaged, and was lucky enough to come out of it with only a few bruises and scrapes. While she was waiting for her parents to come and pick her up, she had struck up a conversation with a group of teenaged girls, who were waiting for a bus to take them into town. While they waited, one of the girls asked Hope to hold her cigarette while she tied her shoe, and Hope did so without thinking. That was when her parents showed up, just in time to see Hope standing there with a cigarette in her paw, talking to six scantily-clad teenagers. Regal had turned the most _interesting _shade of purple, but Hope had really gotten off pretty easy. She had only been grounded, and had gotten stuck sorting paperwork in the Hall of Hearts. It was worse to see her father looking so heartbroken and betrayed, and to have him say very little to her that first night.

Hope winced as she thought of how her father would look when he found them and his newborn son gone, without a single explanation.

* * *

"Be _quiet_, you accursed little brat!" No Heart roared Pace's face. The cub had been bawling nonstop since No Heart had arrived at his home, and even though his throat was dreadfully sore he continued to cry. He couldn't understand why his parents weren't coming to pick him up and reassure him, or why they had allowed this _monster_ to take him. 

"I said **_quiet!_**" No Heart covered the cub's mouth, "I can't hear myself think!"

Pace found himself unable to breathe, and he flailed his limbs feebly and continued to mewl in protest as best he could. It was actually Beastly who came to his rescue.

"Boss, stop, you're gonna kill him!" he said without any hint of his usual stammer.

No Heart turned in surprise, and so-doing he took his hand off Pace's mouth. Pace gave a single long bawl, and lay there gasping. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were defending a _Care Bear..._"

Beastly went wide-eyed. "N-n-n-no, Boss, I just..."

"Get out." said No Heart.

"B-b-but..."

"**Out!**" No Heart sent a lightning bolt in Beastly's direction, and the creature turned and fled. Perhaps the one thing that saved Pace was the fact that he had exhausted himself, and was now in a state of shock.

No Heart took a spell book down from one of his many bookshelves, and began leafing through it. "Now...Let's see if I can't make you have no need of your little _family_ and great need of me..."

* * *

Beastly leaned against the wall, huffing and puffing, and trying to comprehend what he had just seen. He knew that No Heart hated the Care Bears, but this cub...He was only a _baby._ Would No Heart actually _kill _him? Beastly wasn't sure why, but his heart quailed at the thought. It wasn't that he himself had any special love for the Care Bears, but that didn't mean he wanted them dead. Was that what No Heart wanted? Was it really? '_What kind of guy have I been working for all these years?_' He had to do something before things went too far...

* * *

Connie and Hope, leaving their car behind, entered No Heart's castle through the front gate. This probably wasn't a very smart move, but they weren't aware of any other entrances and were left with little choice. The twins were beginning to regret their hasty decision to come alone, and though neither of them knew what the other was thinking, they were both thinking about calling one of the others on their cell phone. 

"Connie?" asked Hope.

"What?"

"When we find Pace, how're we going to get him?" she asked.

Connie, who had been thinking about this, said, "If we find Beastly before we find No Heart, we'll make him take us to him. Maybe we can get him to create a diversion, and..."

"What if they're not here? What if No Heart was telling the truth?"

"Then we're screwed." Connie replied. "But I'm sure they're here."

Hope gave a disgruntled 'humph', and reached into her pocket. "I'm calling Dad."

Connie didn't argue, and as they walked on, Hope dialed her father's cell phone number and readied herself for the bawling-out of all time. Why hadn't they thought of this before traipsing off to deal with No Heart by themselves? As _humans?_

After the third ring, Stellar answered his phone; he knew who it was because the number was displayed in the little window. "Hope? Is everything okay?"

"Are you sitting down?" asked Hope.

* * *

"What do you mean 'am I sitting down'?" asked Stellar, immediately picking up on the fact that something was wrong. Chance looked over, but Stellar didn't notice. "What happened?" 

He heard Hope sigh, then she said, "No Heart came..."

Stellar felt himself pale. He opened his mouth, but he couldn't speak.

Hope continued, "He turned us into humans. Then he took Pace..."

Stellar was silent for a long moment. Then, in a voice that was not a threat but a realization, "I'm going to kill him." He gagged as Chance hit the brakes and the seatbelt cut into his neck.

"Sorry, Dad." said Chance, "What's wrong?"

Stellar waved for him to be silent; Hope was talking again, her voice beginning to waver.

"We need help..."

"Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? I'll..."

"We're at No Heart's castle, but he doesn't know we're here. We're trying to find him..."

Stellar raised his voice, causing Hope to hold the phone a few inches away from her ear. "You stay _right_ where you are, do you hear me? You should have called me **right away!** You stay away from No Heart! Don't you go looking for him, are you _crazy?_"

"I'm _sorry..._" said Hope, giving a strangled sob, "He said..." But she didn't get any further before bursting into tears. Stellar heard Connie say something comforting, and he sighed.

"We're coming, Hopie. Just...stay safe until we get there. Promise me you won't-" but at that moment, Hope's cell phone battery decided to die and they were cut off. "Hope? _Hope!_ Dang it..."

"Dad?" Chance looked at his father, "What happened?"

"Get up, we're switching sides." said Stellar, and there was a moment of complicated fumbling as Chance climbed over the back of his seat and Stellar took the wheel, then Chance climbed into the front passenger seat.

"Where are we going?" asked Chance.

Stellar didn't bother to answer. He pressed the pedal in as far as it would go, and they sped off so fast that Chance wondered if he'd left his stomach behind.

_More To Come._


	4. Confrontation

"Pace"

"Chapter 4: Confrontation"

It was a small blade, only about the size of a pocket knife, but wickedly curved. Pace saw it coming steadily nearer, but he didn't know what it was or he might have begun to wail. The knife did not stab the helpless bundle that lay on the altar, but sawed through a lock of his mane as a bony hand held the hair taut. The cub gave a whimper of protest before he falling silent, watching his captor with a look of resignation that no baby's face should wear. There was no hope now. Mommy and Daddy weren't coming, or they would have helped him by now. No Heart turned away from the baby, taking no pains to make sure he didn't roll off the altar, and dropped the curl of orange-and-brown striped hair into the cauldron.

"It begins..." murmured No Heart, neither noticing nor caring that Pace had begun to wail his despair to the stone ceiling.

* * *

Connie and Hope were waiting for their father near the entrance of No Heart's castle, still very human, and becoming very fidgety. Connie especially. She paced back and forth, she gnawed on her fingernails, she rubbed the back of her neck. A new feeling, one she hadn't felt a few minutes earlier, was beginning to form in her chest. It was an almost empty feeling, a sort of despair that sucked all good feelings out of her. It was, above all, a sense of foreboding. And the longer she felt it, the more certain she became that she wasn't just creeping herself out. Muttering something very unladylike, she turned and strode decisively away from the area in which they were supposed to stay. 

"But Dad said..." Hope protested as Connie started forward.

"He won't get here in time." panted Connie as she broke into a jog. "If we wait for him, it'll be too late!"

"Well, wait for me, will ya!" Hope ran after her. In the space of a few minutes, the two of them had managed to get themselves thoroughly lost. They slowed down, panting, and continued to walk rapidly into the gloom. "You've been here before, Connie..." said Hope.

"I was a cub." Connie snorted. "I was too busy bawling my eyes out to notice my surroundings. I didn't exactly feel like checking out the scenery, and No Heart might have changed things around since then anyway."

"Oh..." said Hope lamely.

"C'mon, let's pick up the pace so we can pick up Pace and get out of here." said Connie, beginning to run once more.

Hope rolled her eyes, and fell into step beside her. "You said a mouthful..."

"When don't I?" Connie replied, flipping her bangs out of her face. "Darn hair...Now I know what Chance was talking about when he said long hair is a pain in the bu-_aaah!_" she shrieked as she tripped over a small, huddled form that was only about a third their height, if that.

Hope, who was fortunate enough to have stopped in time, shot out her hand as quick as thinking and picked Beastly up by the scruff of his neck.

"Owowow!" complained Beastly, "Don't you think I'm a little _big_ to be carried this way? Lemme go!"

"Oooh!" Connie growled, the sound losing nothing coming out of her human mouth. She stood up, ignoring her smirking sister as she brushed off her newly-scraped knees. "Actually, you're just the right size...for a _serious_ butt-kicking! Hold him still, Sis...I wanna see the look on his face when I..."

"Now, now," Hope smiled with deceptive sweetness. "No need to be so rude, Connie. Maybe he'll help us, if we ask nicely."

"I don't even know who you _are!_" wailed Beastly, twisting and clawing at Hope's hand. "You're choking me!"

Hope let go of his neck, and caught him by the armpits before he could hit the floor. "Better?"

"Yeah, tha...Wait a minute!" he gave his head a shake, "Who _are_ you two?"

Hope looked hurt. "Why, Beastly, I'm surprised at you. How could you forget me? We had so much fun up in that _tree_."

"Yeah," said Connie, "And what about that time you snatched me out of the playroom when Sis here was having her bath?"

Beastly looked at Connie. Then he looked at Hope. Then Connie. Then Hope. Then he scrunched up his face and yelled, "**No Heart! Heeeeeeeeelp!** Mmph..."

Connie reached out and covered his mouth, saying through clenched teeth, "If you so much as _think_ about biting me, you'll regret it."

Beastly nodded once, breathing rapidly through his nose, his yellow eyes as round as dinner plates. Hope, well aware that the minutes were ticking rapidly by, turned Beastly a little so that he could see her face. In a way, she pitied him; she knew what it was like to be in his position. On the other hand, during those times it was usually Beastly who had put her in that position in the first place. Sympathy only went so far.

"Let me put it this way, Beastly. We're not here to hurt you, and as long as you cooperate you'll come out of this okay. This is what you're going to do. You are going to take us to our brother, and you are going to help us save him. If you don't, or if we fail and he d...dies..." she faltered a little, then pressed on, "...we will be _very _unhappy, to say nothing about how our _parents_ will react. Trust me, you don't want them coming after you, not for something like this. If you help us, and if we're successful, you can go on your way. We won't tell No Heart, he'll never know. All you have to do is lead us to where he's keeping Pace. What do you say?"

Beastly made a muffled sound, and Connie took the hint and removed her hand. Drawing a hoarse gasp, Beastly said, "You...won't tell him I helped you?"

"Cross our hearts, we won't. Connie?" she looked at her sister. Connie sighed, but crossed her heart with her finger. Hope nodded, and looked Beastly in the eye again. "I'm putting you down now. If you try to run, we'll catch you. And then we won't be so nice."

Beastly gulped, but nodded as she set him on his feet once more. He played fitfully with the end of his red scarf, and started forward at a walk. "This way..." he mumbled.

Connie looked at her sister as they followed the defeated Beastly, and said, "That was easier than I thought. Say, Beastly, what does No Heart want with us anyway? What's he want with Pace?"

"Dunno..." said Beastly, "He's been trying to figure you cubs out since he learned you were born."

Connie and Hope exchanged a look, and nodded. He had just confirmed something they'd suspected for years. Beastly continued, "He won't kill him, you know. You could just let him..."

"Bite your tongue." Connie said grimly, resisting the urge to hit him while his back was turned. Two humans against one..._whatever_ he was...was hardly a fair fight. If Connie possessed a tail at the moment, it would have been lashing in annoyance.

Hope whispered, "If he plans on keeping Pace alive, that almost makes it worse...It means he has plans for him."

"Of course he does, doofus." said Connie, "He said as much to our faces when he took him." Hope winced, and Connie sighed, "I'm sorry..."

"Promise me you won't tell No Heart..." said Beastly again, casting pleading eyes over his shoulder.

"We already _did_ promise." said Connie, and for some strange reason she was moved to sympathy...though not by much. "I gotta ask you something, Beastly."

The creature shrugged his shoulders as he walked on. "Shoot."

"I've seen how No Heart treats you. He treats you like dirt. Why do you continue to work for the guy if he's such a tyrant?" she asked.

Beastly didn't answer for a long moment, and when he did they almost forgot to be angry with him for his association with No Heart. "Got nowhere else to go...Don't you think I would have packed my bags and left if I thought I could?"

The sisters exchanged a regretful look, but the next thing he said broke them out of their growing mood of guilt. "Besides, from what I heard, I have it a lot better than that stupid fox did."

Connie fisted her hands to keep herself from throttling him. "Don't you _ever_ call him stupid. _Ever!_"

The creature held up his clawed hands in surrender, and as he did so the sound of a crying baby reached their ears. Though he didn't need to say it, Beastly told them, "Through that doorway. Good luck getting your brother back...No Heart'll light you two up like a couple of Christmas trees! Hyukyukyukyukyuk!" When he turned and ran off into the labyrinth of hallways, the twins didn't attempt to follow him. He had done his part, and it was more important that they get their brother back. It dawned on them that even if they _did _manage to get Pace from No Heart, they'd never be able to find their way out again. The best they could hope for was to stall him long enough for their father to show up. And, though they didn't have very high hopes about it, maybe the potion would wear off.

The twins crept along the walls on opposite sides of the hall from each other, and peeked around the doorjambs. No Heart was in a very large room that, had it been outside, would have been about the size of a courtyard. This was his cauldron room, very near the thunder pit, and the floor was a minefield of stray boulders and fallen columns. They could clearly see their brother, lying on an altar at the far end of the room (it seemed to be miles away!), and No Heart stood nearby, hunched over his cauldron.

Connie curled her lip, and hiss-whispered, "I hope the sorry so-and-so passes out from breathing too many cauldron fumes..."

"Hush!" Hope hissed back. They watched, still as statues, wondering what to do. Hope looked at Connie and gave a wide shrug as if to say she was flat out of ideas. Connie made sure No Heart wasn't looking, and tip-toed over to her sister's side of the hall.

"Okay, here's what we'll do." whispered Connie, "We'll use the rocks and columns for cover, splitting up and heading in different directions. When we're close enough, we'll confuse him by taking turns getting his attention."

"Getting his attention like how?" whispered Hope.

"Calling to him, insulting him, whatever you can think of. When one of us gets close enough to grab Pace, we'll run for it." she said.

Hope looked dubious. "Will it work? Seems pretty dangerous to me..."

Connie glared. "If you think you can do better, now's the time!" When Hope sighed and shook her head, Connie motioned for them to go in. They slipped into the room, unnoticed by No Heart, and headed in opposite directions from each other. Now that they were in the torch light, they could see No Heart making motions over the cauldron with a knife. Unseen, and unknowing that each of them did so at the same time, the twins bared their teeth in silent snarls.

Connie was close enough for her footsteps to be heard, so she hunkered down behind a huge fallen column and swallowed hard. This was it. She cupped her hands around her mouth, and called out in a loud, taunting voice, "Hey, pig-face, got a riddle for you! What's the ugliest thing you've ever seen, huh?"

"What!" No Heart whipped around, nearly getting his sleeve in the potion.

Hope, from the other side of the room, crowed, "**If you don't know the answer, look in the _mirror!_**"

"How much is one?" yelled Connie, "What's the matter, can't figure it out? **Ya walnut-brained ape!**"

No Heart had zeroed in on her location. "I'll give _you_ ape!" And so-saying, he transformed into a giant purple gorilla.

Hope, seeing that No Heart would catch Connie, yelled out, "What do you have after smoking a huge cigar? Give up? A big **butt!**"

No Heart turned to face Hope now, and Connie ran to a different location while his back was turned. No Heart turned back to deal with Connie, but she wasn't there. "When I get my hands on you..."

"Can't zap me!" called Hope, standing up so that he could see her, "Can't zap me! Nyaa-nyaa, nyaa-nyaa-nyaa! C'mon, here's your target!" she turned around and gave her rump a few light pats before No Heart snapped out of it and came after her with a bellow. Hope went wide-eyed. No Heart, in the form of an ape and running on all fours, was _fast_. "Whoa!"

Connie threw a rock at him, and it hit him directly above the ear.

"**Rrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaagghhhhhh,** I hate you Care Bears!"

Connie danced tauntingly on the balls of her feet, repeating in a parrot-like voice, "I hate you Care Bears, I hate you Care Bears, I hate you...Pbbbbbbbbbt!"

There ensued a mad chase around the cauldron room, and it became apparent that No Heart was catching on to their little scheme. Whenever one of them began to get near Pace, he would cut them off. And it was too late to think of another plan. There was nothing for them to do but continue to stall for time. Round and round they led him, spurring him on with insults when he began to lag, anything to keep him away from their brother. The good news was that it was working. The bad news? They were getting tired. As humans they had longer legs, but they also weighed more, so it balanced out. They didn't really have an advantage. If anything, they were at a disadvantage without their tummy symbols and powers.

"Heeeeeeeeey!" Connie yelled in between panting breaths, "Peanut-braaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiin! Come ooooooooon!"

No Heart finally stopped chasing them, and returned to his human (or human-like) form. His transformation powers had run out, but he was far from helpless. He looked at Connie, and pointed his finger at her. She didn't try to run; she was too exhausted, and he had her wedged into a corner. Sighting along his finger, he said almost lovingly, "Die."

Lightning flashed. Connie acted in desperation, trying instinctively to use her tummy symbol even though she knew it was impossible. Hope cried out in despair. And at the very last millisecond, Connie was able to Call a huge full-length mirror between herself and the lightning bolt. The bolt bounced off, hitting No Heart squarely in the chest. The sorcerer didn't even have time to cry out; he fell over backwards, and lay very still. Connie opened her eyes, and looked over at Hope. She found herself embracing a tearful, furry liger. Looking down at herself, she found that she was in her own body once more. A smile crossed her features before she remembered their reason for coming in the first place.

"Pace!" they cried in unison, running towards the altar. And there he was, sucking his fist and cooing pleasantly to himself. Raising tired eyes, he looked up at them as if to say 'Well? Are we going home or not?'. Hope picked him up, and held him close. "Oh, Pacie..."

"Bluk..." he burped, spitting up on her shoulder.

"What..." came a familiar voice from the doorway, "_happened_ here?"

"Dad..." Connie looked uncommonly like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck. "I know you told us to stay put, but..."

Stellar took in the scene; No Heart unconscious, his two daughters who were no longer humans...And best of all, his son Pace, safe and unharmed.

"Aw, dag, man, you're not humans anymore!" lamented Chance, clutching his antique camera. "I wanted a picture of that."

Connie and Hope reached them, and Stellar only took a moment to hug them before shooing them out, saying, "No telling how long he'll be out. We gotta move."

_Almost the end, but not quite..._


	5. Epilogue: Breaking Points

"Pace"

"Epilogue: Breaking Points"

_Author's Notes: This chapter will be a little longer than some of the others, and it gets pretty emotional in a few parts. Well, what did you expect for the aftermath of a kidnapping? My apologies if it drags a little, but where I had writer's block before, this time I had the opposite problem. Too many ideas!_

Stellar and his family headed for home in silence. Connie and Hope were in one car, and the three males were in the other, Pace strapped securely in his car seat. Stellar drove mechanically, wondering how he himself would react when the shock wore off and he was able to feel again. This time his daughters had cut it _much_ too close, but at the same time they had saved their brother's life. Before he decided what to do, he wanted to get the entire story from them. Maybe he should wait until Regal got home before he tackled the matter at all...

They landed in their driveway, and the five of them trooped silently into the house. Stellar sat down in an armchair with Pace in his arms, and motioned for his daughters to sit on the couch. Chance, sensing that this was his cue, headed for the kitchen to get himself a plate of cookies. Stellar didn't say a word. He simply sat there and stared off into space until his daughters began to fidget uncomfortably.

"Dad..." Connie began.

Stellar looked at her, and sighed. "What you did today was very brave...and very dangerous. You could have been killed..."

Connie looked incredulous. "I should have stayed at home, then? Let No Heart take Pace when I had a chance to save him?"

"You should have called someone." said Stellar. "Don't get me wrong, Connie...I'm proud of you. But..."

Connie's nerves had been stretched as taut as the hide on a drum, and she finally snapped. She really and truly lost her temper, and her poor father was unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of it. "But what? You can't tell me you wouldn't have done it in our place! I would _gladly_ risk _my _life if it meant keeping my family _safe!_ Oh no, don't even ask us for the particulars, just point your finger and say 'Bad Connie, bad, bad, bad'!"

"Connie..." Stellar held up a paw placatingly, but it was too late. The dam had broken, and all the frustration and fear that had built up inside Connie that day came out in a tidal wave of anger. As Connie's tirade picked up steam, Hope discreetly walked over and took Pace from her father, leaving the room so that the already-traumatized cub wouldn't become frightened by the noise.

"I'm an _adult_, Dad, and if I want to risk my life that's _my_ prerogative! See? I'm even using big words now! Oh, and guess what? I can say my ABC's too! I'm not a kid anymore!" she yelled.

Stellar met her gaze steadily, trying to hide the fact that she was actually beginning to scare him a little. In an attempt to keep (or gain) control of the situation, he stood up to give himself the height advantage. "Maybe not, but I'm still your father. I _love_ you, and I want _all_ my children to be safe. And you _are_ still a kid when you use _that tone_."

"No Heart had a **_knife!_**" she yelled, "He was casting some sort of weird spell when we got there! If we'd just stayed at home, or if we'd just stayed in one spot at the castle, I don't even want to _think_ about what might have happened! You think you know everything, but you don't! We saved your son's _life_ today, and we're being lectured for it!"

"Will you just _calm down _for a minute-" he began.

"I will **not** calm down!" she snapped.

"I'm _not _lecturing you, Connie, I'm just trying to get to the bottom of things." Stellar told her, trying to keep his voice level. The thought of No Heart standing over his son with a knife sent an icy chill down his spine. He understood what was bothering Connie, but at the same time she was blowing things out of proportion. "Now, let's just sit down and talk about this, _calmly_. I understand that you..."

"You understand **nothing!**" she fairly roared. Pace began to cry upstairs, his own frazzled nerves still easily giving way.

"Lower your voice." Stellar said firmly.

"I don't _have_ to lower my voice!" she shot back, teetering on the brink of hysteria.

"As long as you're living under this roof, you'll lower your voice when I tell you to. You're scaring your brother." he said.

Connie had the sense to see that she was going a little too far now. But it didn't seem to her like anyone was on her side at this point. Hope had been there, but she was upstairs with the baby. It was the 'as long as you're under my roof' speech that finally pushed her over the brink. She took a deep breath, and said in a surprisingly calm voice, "Well, then...maybe it's time I moved out."

Stellar went wide-eyed and pale, and he felt as if his head was floating a few inches above his body. A dull pain hit his heart like a small depth charge. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he was able to croak out the words, "Move...out?"

Connie turned from him and headed for the front door. "I'm going for a walk."

Stellar would have stopped her, he _wanted_ to stop her, but he was too stunned to move or speak. He didn't react as the door slammed, and he simply stood there, the words echoing in his head. '_Moved out-out-out...maybe it's-maybe it's time-time-time I moved out-out-out..._' Pace's crying had subsided by now, and Stellar lowered himself into his chair as the strength went out of him. His paws felt cold and clammy, and he could hear his heartbeat hammering in his ears. How had things gotten out of control so quickly? He didn't know what he had said to set her off like that, but that didn't matter. He had said it, whatever it was, and now...Now he was going to lose her.

Stellar's vision blurred as tears filled his eyes, and he leaned his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his paws. This was how Regal found him not two minutes later, shaking silently and every now and then giving a sharp, hoarse sob.

"Stel? Honey, what's the matter?" she asked, walking over to him and putting an arm around his shaking shoulders.

"The kids..." he began, wanting to explain to her what had happened but finding it difficult to speak. Regal blanched.

"Are the kids okay?" When he nodded, she sighed in relief. "Then what is it?"

"Connie wants to...to m-move _out!_" he sobbed, losing it completely. "We-we had a-a fight, and, and, and..."

"Okay, okay, calm down..." Regal said soothingly, rubbing his back as she got him a tissue with her free paw. "Maybe she just said it in anger, but didn't really mean it..."

He drew a hitching breath, and tried to compose himself. He accepted the tissue, dried his eyes, and blew his nose. "She seemed pretty d-darned serious..."

"She usually does." she told him, wiping his cheeks with her thumbs. "I'll make a pot of chamomile tea, and you can tell me what happened. We'll talk to Connie, and we should be able to work this out."

"Yeah...yeah...okay." he nodded, sniffling. By the time she brought him his tea, he had calmed down significantly and was a little more rational.

"Tell me what happened..." Regal prompted him gently. And so he did. He told her about the kidnapping and how their daughters had been temporarily transformed into humans. He told her what the twins had told him on the way out, how they had taunted the sorcerer and stalled him until they had changed back. He told her how close it had been with Connie, how she had barely had time to Call a mirror to deflect the lightning bolt that would most likely have killed her. Regal listened intently throughout the entire explanation, speaking only when he fell silent. "Oh my stars...And Pace is okay? He's safe? I'll be right back."

Stellar nodded as she got up, and watched as she hurried upstairs to verify for herself that Pace was fine. He heard his wife talking to Hope, and a moment later Regal appeared again with Pace in her arms. Upon seeing his son, and realizing what had almost happened, he bit his lip and looked away. It had been Connie and Hope who had saved this baby from No Heart's cruelty, and instead of thanking them he had scolded them. Seeing that he was near tears again, Regal sat down beside him and didn't touch him. She knew from experience that if he was this upset, hugging him would only cause him to lose whatever composure he was holding on to.

"Okay...I know everything up until the fight you said you had with Connie..."

Stellar sighed and nodded, then went on to tell her what had taken place. That didn't take long at all, and when he finished he was staring at his folded hands. "It's my own fault she decided to leave...it's just...I'm so proud of them because of what they did, but at the same time it just..._terrified_ me. If it hadn't worked, it wouldn't have just been a matter of losing Pace...we would've lost them too, and I couldn't stand it if that happened. I mean, she's _right_...if they hadn't acted as quickly as they did...And even though I didn't think I was scolding her, that's what I was doing...I pushed her away, I made her want to leave her own home, and it's my own fault..." he choked, his chin quivering a little as he tried desperately to keep himself under control. A moment later he shook his head, lowering his face to his paw. Regal put her arm around him now, rocking him slightly as she kept a careful grip on Pace.

"It _wasn't_ your fault. And it's by no means a definite that she's leaving." she said quietly, "What they did was ultimately the right choice, I think, but it was also rash and dangerous. None of that matters now...they're safe, that's what's important. And when you think about what they had to deal with today, it was building for some time. Getting told about it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. She won't leave, not if I know her."

"I should have..."

"No." she said firmly. "What's done is done. You weren't wrong, you were just trying to be a good father. She shouldn't have talked to you like that, but she was upset. I'll try calling her on her cell phone, and we'll work this out."

"For now..." he mumbled, "But she'll eventually want to move out for real, if this isn't that time already..."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." she said. He nodded, and she got up to use the phone when she was sure he'd be all right. In truth, she was a lot more shaken than she was letting on. She might have had a few things to say to Stellar if he hadn't been so upset; she had always had a soft spot for people who were crying, especially if those people were close to her. And it really _wasn't_ his fault. Connie had simply reached her breaking point.

* * *

Connie was some distance from her home before she stopped to get her bearings. She'd had no particular destination in mind, but she knew she had to get out of that house before she said something _really_ cutting. '_Why do I keep getting like this?_' she thought ruefully. It seemed that the longer she lived under her parents' roof as an adult, the more fights they seemed to have. It seemed like they weren't even the ones _having_ the fights; it was more like the fights were having _them_. If this was what she had to look forward to in her adult life, living at home with her parents, wouldn't it be better to move out? At the same time, she knew she wasn't ready to be out on her own. But what else could she do? If she went 'crawling back', that would make her look weak, if only in her own eyes. 

Hadn't she and Hope done the right thing by hurrying to stop No Heart? She certainly thought so! Pace was safe because of them. She needed to talk to someone, and badly. But who? She saw that she was standing in front of Soulful Heart's house, and considered knocking. She had confided in him a few times before, and she sort of saw him as an uncle...On the other hand, she had to catch him on a good day, or there was simply no talking to him at all. Was this a good day?

"Who gives a darn?" she muttered, walking up to the door and hesitating before knocking. A moment later, Soulful Heart whipped open the door and glared out at her. "Um..." she cleared her throat. This wasn't good. He was definitely in one of his 'snarky' moods. It was too late to back out now, and all she could do was move forward with it.

"What?" he snapped.

Connie felt her throat begin to constrict as she stammered, "I...I wanted...I need to talk to-"

Before he could stop himself, Soulful Heart interrupted her. "I don't have time to waste talking to children!"

The word 'children' sliced through her like a knife, and even as a look of horror dawned on his face she felt a sob building in her chest. She put a paw over her mouth to stifle it, but it wouldn't be stifled. Before she could stop herself she had begun to cry.

"Oh Connie, I..." Soulful floundered helplessly for something to say, but this time _she_ was the one to cut _him_ off.

"Shut up! Okay? Just _shut up!_ Is-isn't it enough that ev-everyone _else_ thinks I'm a kid, but you-you have to _rub it in! **Who needs you anyway!**_" And with that, she turned and fled.

"Connie, wait!" he called, jumping off the porch and running after her, "Please! I'm sorry!"

Connie stopped, but only because she couldn't see where she was going. "Just...just leave me al-alone..."

"I just...had a really rough day..." he offered weakly. Big mistake. She rounded on him, and seemed torn between crying and laughing hysterically.

"My day could beat your day to _pieces!_"

"You...you said you wanted...to talk..." he forced the words out, though the last thing he wanted now was to be involved in a shouting match with her, one he was bound to lose because he felt guilty about upsetting her.

"Well, I ch-changed my mind!" she informed him, turning to stalk off again.

"I'll _listen_." he told her.

"Pace was kidnapped." she said abruptly.

"What!" he paled.

"Hope and I rescued...him. Then Dad gets all high and mighty about how we should have called for help, and...So then I said I'd move out, and...and..." she faltered, beginning to break down again. The fox hesitated before reaching out and patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. She shrugged him off. He bit his lip, feeling tears beginning to gather in his eyes and hating himself for it. He didn't trust himself to speak, so he just turned and slowly began to walk away.

Connie heard him going, and turned. Both fights had started with someone losing their temper, and she had started the first one. She might as well be the one to smooth over the second one. "Sorry I lost it. Listen, I better go home...See you later?"

Soulful didn't answer her or turn around, but he raised one paw in a non-committal gesture. He had to go inside soon, or he was really going to embarrass himself.

Connie sighed as he closed his door, and she was beginning to head for home when her cell phone rang. She dug it out of her purse, cleared her throat, and answered. "Hello?"

"Connie?" said Regal, "Are you all right?"

"I...don't know." Connie said truthfully.

"Connie...please, come on home. You sound upset, and your father's in tears. I really think the two of you should talk."

Connie sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm already on my way home...you can tell him I'm not moving out, I just...lost it, I guess."

"Good..." Regal sighed, "That's good..."

A few more words were exchanged, and Connie put her phone away again. Sparing one last look at Soulful's house, she thought she saw the drapes move a little. She sighed, muttering to herself as she headed for home. "Seems like I'm always apologizing to someone..." She made a mental note to talk to Soulful Heart the next day, whether he was friendly to her or not.

* * *

No Heart awoke several hours after his near-fatal electrocution, wrinkling his nose at the scent of burnt cloth. He slowly opened his eyes, sitting up painfully as he tried to remember where he was and what he was doing. He saw the cauldron, now gone still and cool, and he saw the altar. He was beginning to remember what had happened, and he slowly got to his feet. A simple glance told him that the ligers were gone, and that his plan had failed. Again. The potion was useless, incomplete. After staring at the cauldron for a long time, No Heart suddenly lashed out and tipped it over with his foot. Viscous orange liquid spread across the stone floor, but No Heart didn't mind. After all, _he_ didn't have to clean it up. 

"**_BEASTLY!_**"

_End_

_Author's Note: Sorry to end it there, but this was really supposed to be the aftermath from the liger family's point of view. No Heart's thoughts might or might not be touched on in a future story. _


End file.
